News in brief

Train ticket computer system goes off the rails

Rail passengers have been unable to book some cheap tickets after glitches in a new computer reservation system.

The system was installed over Christmas and is run by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).

It has replaced a British Rail system that was more than 20 years old and ATOC admitted today that it had been introduced during the festive season in case there were problems.

A spokesman said: "This is a quiet time of year with many people still on holiday and we decided to bring in this system earlier this week when there were little or no services.

"There have been some problems but reports of the system `crashing' and being in `meltdown' are not true and are unhelpful. Some cheap-day return tickets have not been available but it's unfair to suggest that some fares have soared, for example, from £22 to £182."

The computer problems follow the difficulties of some passengers in booking tickets before the Christmas period for travel over the festive season.

Surgery 'eases migraine pain'

The frequency, intensity and duration of migraines can be substantially reduced by surgery, according to research published today.

More than nine out of 10 volunteers who had operations to remove sections of nerve and muscles at least halved the number, length and level of pain of their attacks. A third of those taking part reported the elimination of their migraines. The average frequency of attacks fell from 10 to less than four per month.

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland report their findings in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Seaside town is UFO hotspot

The seaside resort of Filey has been named the top spot for UFO spotters hunting an alien encounter.

The North Yorkshire town has been named Britain's top location for sighting unidentified flying objects by the British UFO Hunters study group.

According to members, the town has had the most sightings of anywhere in the country this year. A significantly large number of individual UFO sightings, plus a high volume of unusual aerial activity, has been recorded on camcorders.

A Filey resident, Russell Kellett, who describes himself as an experienced UFO investigator, said: "We have got a lot of dedicated UFO enthusiasts here and we have also got a very large expanse of clear sky."

Rail journeys at 45-year high

Britons made more rail journeys in 2004 than for 45 years - a total of 1.05 billion - it was announced yesterday.

This is the highest number since 1959 and was four per cent up on the 2003 figure, the Association of Train Operating Companies said.

The increase on last year means that more than one million extra journeys are now being made every week.

Missing rock fan is safe

A woman who went missing two years ago after travelling to America for a rock concert is safe and well.

Kirsty Omerod, then aged 20, left her home in Newport, Gwent, in November 2002 to see Guns N' Roses in Chicago, but disappeared without contacting her family again.

Officers in the US have now contacted police in Gwent to say that she has married and settled down.